Haute Fabrics Now in Georgetown & books ON a wall

I mentioned this briefly in another post but this news warrants more coverage than that. Haute Fabrics (Marshall, VA) has opened a location in Georgetown at 2603 P Street NW Washington, DC, sharing space with Jean Pierre Antiques. The selection of fabrics has grown since my first visit two weeks ago and the ones I had my eye on were in the range of $16 - $26 a yard.



Haute Fabrics, 2603 P St. NW, Washington, DC, 202.965.1123 (*they're closed the day after Thanksgiving but I will update this post w/their hours tomorrow)

Earlier in the month, I posted on the amazing concrete books created by Richard Taylor of Flat Earth Designs. Check out the creative way Debra Phillips of Scentimental Gardens and SG Grand displays the ones she has for sale. Ask you would expect, customers are first surprised to see them on the wall and then to discover they're concrete to boot.

My Kelly Wearstler Sofa & Style-Rite Upholstery!

Solid sofas with patterned pillows make alot of sense but how could I pass up the opportunity to reupholster my $25 yellow vinyl church sale sofa in Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree? You may remember at the end of September I posted about my purchase of Fern Tree from Haute for only $28 a yard and asked for advice for which direction to run the fabric. I went with a vertical placement and couldn't be more thrilled with how it turned out!
The upholsterer I've always used is Mel Stokols of Style-Rite Upholstery. This was not an easy pattern to work with and I think the placement of it is perfection. Love how the fern trails up the front of the arm; it's identical on both of them.

The pattern rolls over both arms and matches perfectly down each side (forgot to take a picture of that but you can see a bit of it in the photo below.)
The sofa was delivered Friday night, as promised, just in time for a dinner party Saturday. Here's Mel on the left and fellow master upholsterer David on the right. I've had 2 other chairs and another sofa upholstered by Style-Rite and it's been perfection in my book every time.
The cost to reupholster this sofa was $1,110 - which included repairs to the springs and 13 yards of another fabric** I had bought from Mel. (**I found the Wearstler fabric weeks after choosing the original fabric.) I can highly recommend Mel to anyone in the metro DC area who is interested in reupholstering a piece. Style-Rite Upholstery, Annandale,VA, 703.256.1114. Please note this is my personal recommendation and I receive no form of compensation for my endorsement.

Two other notes - with the addition of this sofa my family room is finally starting to come together. Hope to post more about it soon.

The amazing fabric store Haute of Marshall, VA now has a second location in Georgetown at 2601 P Street NW in a space next to Jean Pierre Antiques. There are many beautiful fabrics in this location and it's definitely worth checking out.

Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for $28 a yard!

Last Friday I made a quick trip out to the amazing fabric store Haute in Marshall, VA (www.hauteonline.com) hoping to find fabric for the family room couch I'm having reupholstered. JACKPOT - Kelly Wearstler's Fern Tree for Schumacher in charcoal grey/ivory at $28 a yard. (Later I read on Pink Wallpaper that this fabric retails for over $200 a yd)

I had a brief moment of hestitation so I'm so glad my friend Anne was there to encourage me to get it - especially since a number of other shoppers started eyeing my prize. Now the only question was would there be at least 12+ yards? I wasn't sure as the bolt didn't seem that large. After 5 yards we found the fabric was cut. My heart started pounding a bit (I know - it's "only" fabric) Well we got to 12 yards and I saw there was more so I kinda shouted out "I'll take it all!" I felt like I was in a casino putting all my chips on Red. My winnings - 18 3/8 yards. Although my husband reminded me it technically wasn't a "winning" but a purchase. Don't quite agree with that...

So now, here's my dilemma. Which way do I run the fabric? Vertical or Horizontal??
( Horizontal Repeat - 3.5", Vertical Repeat - 18.875")


This is not my couch (mine is more straight lined) but it gives an idea. So, what do you think?

(image of couch via Pink Wallpaper. Sorry for the lack of links. I'm posting from my ipad and forgot how to do this)

Rare Finds at Seattle's Red Ticking

Years ago I can remember reading in a number of magazines about the Seattle store Red Ticking and hoping someday I would have a chance to visit. That was before blogging and any aspirations I might have had of meeting the owner, Pam Robinson. Well, I recently had the pleasure of doing both those things and couldn't be more happy about it. Pam left a corporate career in fashion design to pursue her passion for vintage and rare European textiles and opened Red Ticking. Not only is it full of beautiful fabrics but also unique furniture pieces found on shopping ventures on the East coast. Love this settee in the purple gray fabric.
A life preserver with character! Pam mentioned these are hard to come by as of late.

The selection of vintage fabrics is vast. Pam finds these primarily in the south of France. The prices can range from $95 - $900+ depending on the size and rarity. Pam made an analogy between these textiles and works of art - which made a lot of sense to me. The number of these pieces is finite in supply and in some cases there are few pieces left.






At the end of my visit, Pam generously gave me one of these lavender sachets made by a friend of hers in France from a rare indigo dyed fabric. It's like having a little piece of history and I love it! I recently emailed Pam to let her know how handy it came in when we were stuck behind a dump truck in the tunnel out of Boston's Logan airport. Beautiful and practical - the best combination.
Pam's gorgeous home appeared in the April 07 issue of the much-missed Cottage Living. You can check out the complete spread here (Photography by Roger Davies)

*Update - I was just visiting Pam's blog and noticed she now has a presence on 1st Dibs!

D. Bryant Archie Textiles

A Moroccan honeymoon, an encounter with a souk of Berbers and a dream back in 2005
led to the launch of D. Bryant Archie Textiles in 2008. The back story is as interesting as Bryant, whom I had a chance to meet last week at the DC Design Center's Hall of Fame Showhouse opening.

Nestor Santa-Cruz selected two of her throws to feature in his room. Bryant has designed a luxurious collection that is inspired by indigenous hands of the past – from American Indian to Persian and African artifacts.
Beautiful - I've had a chance to see these up close and the quality is impeccable.

Made in a rural region of Peru, the weaving of these throws and pillows helps support the livelihoods and hand weaving traditions of artisans. Her firm also works with partners who support their education and the education of their children. In addition, the process from sorting the fiber by hand to dying, weaving and cleaning of the final piece is environmentally friendly. This throw is one of my favorites - I love the combination of colors.

In addition to being creative and talented, Bryant is one of the nicest people you'll meet. Isn't it great when talent and friendliness combine! To see more of her textiles, go here. As with Nestor Santa-Cruz, I have a feeling her textiles are going to be very popular with designers.

Camilla David Textiles & a Barn Sale

A few months ago House Beautiful featured this charming Camilla David Little Lambs pattern as one of their favorite 19 embroidered fabrics. I just love it. Camilla was raised in Washington and is now locally based in Bethesda, MD. A former interior designer, she has turned her attention towards textile design with the goal to modernize the look of freshly-picked flowers with unusual, geometric coordinates. The patterns are joyful and the fabric is either all natural 100% Cotton, 100% Linen or a blend of both. (above photography by Phillip Friedman)

These fabrics are available through trade showrooms; here in DC they can be viewed at J. Lambeth & Company. For the full collection, go here.

I also wanted to pass on some news from a local reader - Sharon Hayden of Fabulous Finds is holding one of her well known Barn Sales this Saturday May 15th from 8 am - 4 pm, 1870 Hunter Mill Road Vienna, VA. It looks like a terrific event and a portion of the sales will be given to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of her friend Lucy, a cancer survivor. Go here to see more of the vintage items that will be available. (If you can't make the Spring barn sale, Sharon also offers her finds via her website between sales) Have a great weekend!

Haute - Designer Fabrics & Trims at Incredible Prices

The Washington Post ran a Sales Talk piece about Haute** back in Feb '09. Not sure why it took me until November to get there to check it out - especially since designer fabrics that sell for $100++ a yard can be found at incredible prices. My friend Anne walked away with a gorgeous Victoria Hagan linen for just $20 a yard! In the above picture I'm checking out trim that's $2 a yard. (**as of this post, the website still lists the old Middleburg address. The new address is 8393 West Main St., Marshall, VA 20115, 540.364.1221)
The trim collection at Haute is truly unbelievable. The wide Greek Key trim is $10 a yard, the narrow $7 a yard. The quality is extremely high. I purchased the wide yellow/grey and the narrow blue/grey.

Haute is housed in a house on Main Street with each room dedicated to different types and colors of fabric. Need a neutral?
Here's a small peek at the extensive collection of toile from top name firms. I didn't recognize all the brand names but noticed that many of the fabrics were printed in England.
Here's a pretty Brunschwig & Fils print.
I purchased this Greek Key cut velvet for $20 a yard. Love it!
This braided trim was only $9 a yard and I've sewn it onto the dark brown curtains in my office. My office redecoration is almost finished - hoping to do a post on that soon.

Haute is located in Marshall, VA, just off exit #28 on 66 West. It would be a great trip to combine a visit to Haute with Matthews House and Garden in Upperville, VA and then to the shops in Middleburg. Just keep in mind Haute's website still has the old Middleburg address and the site only showcases a small fraction of the selection.

(This is my personal recommendation and I do not receive any form of compensation for this endorsement - I'm just a fabric nut!)

Tipping Pink & Orange

I know - I featured pink & orange a fews posts ago. Jittery from "magazine anemia" I pulled the car over at the nearest Barnes & Noble and bought the July issues of British Homes & Gardens and House & Garden International. The latter had a whole spread on pink & orange fabrics, many from Bennison.

Love this vibrant bedroom. I think the pillow fabric is Manuel Canovas Cerisy (?) Love the matching box on the side table. Below are Bennison fabrics. (above image Homes & Gardens, May 2009)